By ROY HESS, Staff Writer

When Brownsville Veterans Memorial defeated Hanna 2-0 in District 32-6A girls soccer Tuesday, it didn’t clinch a playoff spot or anything.

Still, the win may come in pretty handy down the road for the Lady Chargers.

The Brownsville Veterans girls entered their match at Hanna tied for fourth place in 32-6A with the Lady Golden Eagles, each team with a 5-4 record and 15 points.

Defeating Hanna actually lifts the Lady Chargers into a third-place tie with Harlingen South, a 2-1 loser Tuesday against second-place Los Fresnos (8-2, 24 points).

Brownsville Veterans and South now are each 6-4 with 18 points, while Hanna (5-5, 15 points) drops to fifth place. Lopez (9-1, 26 points), a 3-0 winner against Rivera, is the district leader.

The top four teams in 32-6A advance to the playoffs. Four games remain in district play.

A pair of second-half goals provided Tuesday’s victory for Brownsville Veterans.

“The win tonight doesn’t mean much yet because we still have some very tough district games ahead of us in the second round,” Lady Chargers coach Luis Troncoso said. “But it definitely gives us the confidence and motivation to keep going forward.”

Things began turning in Brownsville Veterans’ favor with a little more than 27 minutes remaining when the ball was advanced close to the Hanna goal by the Natalia Torres.

The Hanna goalkeeper tried to clear it, but the ball wound up being deflected backward. With the goalkeeper and a defender caught out of position, Torres only had to dribble in a little ways and deposit the ball into an open net to give her team a 1-0 lead.

Blanca Capistran sealed the victory for the Lady Chargers when she fired a shot into the goal from 25-plus yards out on the left side with 9 1/2 minutes left.

“We’re very proud of our girls,” Troncoso said. “This was the type of game that had a playoff feeling to it, but we understand we still have the rest of the regular season in front of us. We’re going to continue working hard to get to our goal, which is the playoffs.”

By ROY HESS, Staff Writer

The Brownsville Veterans Memorial Chargers are making a statement in District 32-6A soccer.

With a 2-1 victory Tuesday at Hanna, the Chargers won their seventh straight game in district.

It was a win that keeps Brownsville Veterans tied atop the 32-6A standing with Lopez. The Chargers and Lobos are each 8-2 with 25 points. Lopez defeated Rivera 3-2 on Tuesday.

Hanna is still in the mix at 7-3 with 19 points.

“We’re glad to get out of here with a win,” Chargers coach Alberto Vasquez said. “Hanna is a top team in our district, and it’s always fun to play against them.

“To be honest, it’s been kind of complicated for us when we come to Hanna,” Vasquez added. “We don’t really play or practice on a field as wide as theirs, so the way we’re supposed to shift and move on the field here throws us off a little bit. I think we played a very soft first half and played much harder and with more intensity in the second half. We just willed ourselves to a win, I think.”

The Chargers made their one and only shot on goal count during the first half. With just 6 1/2 minutes gone in the match, the ball came in close to the box and was diverted back by a Chargers player to teammate Gabriel Montoya, who promptly drilled a strong shot into the net.

Brownsville Veterans’ one-goal advantage stood until Hanna found the net just 1 1/2 minutes into the second half on an equalizing tally by Jesus Hernandez. The Golden Eagles earlier had what they thought was their initial goal waved off on an offsides call midway through the opening half. Hanna had another shot go off the left post.

Still, the Chargers weren’t quite done. They came up with another goal to go ahead once again, and their defense remained solid the rest of the way to seal the 2-1 victory.

The game-winning goal for Brownsville Veterans came with 31 minutes to go after a Chargers’ corner kick taken from the left side was knocked high into the air by the Hanna goalkeeper. When the ball came down, Jesus Arena, one of tallest players for the Chargers, was there on the doorstep of the goal to punch it in and account for the eventual 2-1 final score.

“The more we win, the more confidence we’re gaining,” said Garret Wild, the Chargers’ sophomore goalkeeper. “We had a slow start in district because we weren’t scoring goals. We’re scoring goals now, and that’s been the difference.”

By ROY HESS, Staff Writer

Leading the Lopez Lady Lobos to what they hope will be another district soccer championship are team captains Samantha Ruiz, Christie Escandon, Gloria Ortegon and Michell Salinas.

All four players were part of the Lady Lobos’ 2014 District 32-5A title squad that went unbeaten in conference and advanced to the Region IV-5A Tournament in San Antonio for the first time. The Lopez girls finished No. 1 in the Rio Grande Valley that season.

““It’s a blessing to play on this team,” said Escandon, a senior forward/midfielder and starter since she was a freshman. “We all work together and we all have the same goals. Our minds are set on one thing (to advance deep into the playoffs as district champions), and we’re going to go for it.

““We’re working hard and not giving up,” added Escandon, the daughter of Lopez boys coach Amadeo Escandon who is coming off an injury that forced her to miss her entire junior season of soccer. “We know to just keep going and going and never stop.”

This year, as leaders of District 32-6A with an 8-1 record and 23 points, the Lady Lobos appear quite capable of capturing another championship.

Five second-round games remain on the 32-6A schedule. The first of them is 7:30 p.m. Tuesday against the Rivera Lady Raiders at Sams Memorial Stadium. It will be preceded by the Lopez-Rivera boys match at 5:30 p.m.

Lady Lobos coach Alex Macias is grateful for the contributions of his veteran team captains.

“These (four) girls are very experienced because they’ve been playing on the varsity since they were freshmen,” Macias said. “They went to the regional tournament two years ago, and they’re just as hungry as everyone else to go back (to that level of the playoffs).

“It’s their drive,” Macias added. “They do not want to give in, and I think they kind of proved that against Harlingen South.”

Against South on Saturday at Brownsville Sports Park, the Lady Lobos trailed 2-0 after 15 minutes and 3-2 just two minutes into the second half before rallying to win 5-3 against the third-place Lady Hawks (6-3, 18 points). The victory kept second-place Los Fresnos (7-2, 21 points) from jumping ahead of Lopez in the 32-6A standings.

“It’s a great honor to be playing with these girls,” said Salinas, a junior central defender and three-year starter. “They’re my family. I trust them with everything. If something happens, I know they have my back.

“I see us playing like we did before (in 2014),” Salinas added. “We never gave up that year, and now we’re doing pretty much the same thing. We want to be up there again and be recognized (as one of the Valley’s top teams).”

Added Ortegon, a senior midfielder on the wing and a three-year starter, “Everyone on this team puts their part into it, and we just have fun out there.

“There’s a responsibility (as captain) to keep the team together and working hard so we can get to where we want to go,” she added. “We know every game is tough, but we also know that if everyone puts in their part, we can win. That’s why I love these girls.”

One of the players doing her part by controlling the ball in the middle and scoring is Ruiz, a senior center midfielder and four-year starter. Ruiz scored the Lady Lobos’ first three goals Saturday against South to initiate their comeback.

“I’m just proud that everyone on this team is who they are and how they contribute (to our success),” Ruiz said. “The way everyone contributes is a big part of why we play the way we play.”

Roy Hess covers sports for The Brownsville Herald. You can reach him via email at [email protected]. On Twitter he’s @HessRgehess

By ROY HESS, Staff Writer

Coming off two unsuccessful outings, the Lopez Lobos were determined to get back into the win column Saturday against Harlingen South.

They did just that.

The Lobos remained co-leaders in the District 32-6A soccer race by breaking out of a 2-2 deadlock and defeating the Hawks 4-2 with a pair of goals during the final 20 minutes at Brownsville Sports Park.

Saturday’s win allows Lopez to stay tied with Brownsville Veterans Memorial atop the 32-6A standings. Each team is 7-2 with 22 points. Brownsville Veterans defeated Rivera 2-0 on Friday.

South is fifth place in 32-6A at 4-5 with 14 points.

During its two previous games, Lopez had lost to Brownsville Veterans 2-0 and to Los Fresnos 2-1 on penalty kicks.

“This was a win we needed just to get back on track and get out of that little slump we went through,” Lopez coach Amadeo Escandon said. “I think we had been shooting ourselves in the foot. We were committing too many mistakes and the other team capitalized on them. We played better today, and that’s a good thing for us going into our stretch of games (next week against Rivera and Hanna) in the second half of district.

“I think we had just as many (scoring) opportunities today as we had (Tuesday) against Los Fresnos, and today we capitalized on them,” Escandon added. “We create a lot of opportunities, and they’ve been there all season long. We gamble a lot (offensively), and today it paid off. It’s been paying off except for those two games against (Brownsville) Veterans and Los Fresnos. It doesn’t matter who has more ball control and possession. It’s who scores the goals.”

A medium-range shot out of a crowd by Ulysses Ortegon gave the Lobos a 1-0 lead 11 minutes into the match. Twelve minutes later, during the 23rd minute, the Lobos were called for tripping in the area. South’s Nick Lerma converted the ensuing penalty kick with a strong shot into the left corner of the net to tie the score at 1. That’s the way the half ended.

The Lobos went up by one goal again, 2-1, eight minutes into the second half when Jose Echevarria tallied from about 12 yards away.

Echevarria’s score came during the 48th minute, and during the 56th minute the Hawks pulled even again at 2 when Izui Villasana attacked down the middle and got the ball to go into the net on the bounce past the goalkeeper.

“I felt like we had a good chance to win the game,” South coach Julian Robles said. “It was going to come down to mistakes. We made them, and they didn’t. I thought we played a good, solid game.

“Lopez is a heck of a team, and we knew it was going to be hard to beat them here at the Sports Park,” Robles added. “It’s just a real tough loss, but there’s still a lot of the season left and that’s what we’re looking forward to. This wasn’t a game that we absolutely had to win, but it really would have been nice (to get the victory).”

After South’s second goal, the Lobos seemed to become more determined defensively and didn’t really allow the Hawks much more in the way of opportune scoring chances. At the same time, the Lobos stepped up their attack on the other end of the field.

With 20 minutes remaining, Echevarria received a pass from the right side and fired a well-placed, medium-range shot into the goal to put the Lobos in the lead for good at 3-2.

Then with six minutes to go, Arturo Salazar’s goal from close range gave the Lobos a 4-2 advantage and a little more breathing room.

Escandon said winning Saturday brought a measure of consolation to his team, which was dealing with the death of a teammate’s father.

“Ruben Sauceda, No. 4, is one of our captains, and his father, Roberto Sauceda, just passed away,” the Lopez coach said. “The whole Lobo family has him and his family in our prayers.”

Roy Hess covers sports for The Brownsville Herald. You can reach him via email at [email protected]. On Twitter he’s @HessRgehess.

By ROY HESS, Staff Writer

It’s going to take a lot more than a two-goal deficit for the Lopez Lady Lobos to surrender their lead in the District 32-6A girls soccer race.

The Lady Lobos trailed 2-0 after 15 minutes Saturday against Harlingen South at Brownsville Sports Park. The Lopez girls pulled even before halftime only to fall behind 3-2 just two minutes into the second half.

That’s when the Lady Lobos summoned their collective resolve and rallied to score the match’s next three goals in capturing a 5-3 win against the Lady Hawks.

It was a victory that kept Lopez in sole possession of the district lead.

Lopez leads 32-6A at 8-1 with 23 points. A loss Saturday would have allowed second-place Los Fresnos (7-2, 21 points) to take over as district leader. South (6-3, 18 points) slipped to third place in 32-6A.

The Lady Lobos were coming off Tuesday’s 2-1 setback at Los Fresnos and weren’t too keen on letting that defeat become a trend.

“Yes, we were down, but we all knew we had to step it up if we wanted to stay with the (first-place) ranking that we have,” said Samantha Ruiz, a senior center midfielder who led the Lady Lobos by scoring their first three goals Saturday. “I’m just glad that everyone did her part to help us get the victory.”

The Lady Hawks got off to a strong start as South’s Monica Quintana scored from the right side during the eighth and 15th minutes to provide her team with a 2-0 advantage.

Lady Hawks coach Omar Pedroza didn’t really feel all that comfortable despite his team’s early two-goal advantage.

“This game was just about like every game we play in our district,” Pedroza said. “Everybody’s good and everybody’s tough.

“You know when you play Lopez they’re always going to be ready to give you a tough game,” he added. “It’s just a very tough district. It’s going to be hard to get over this game, but we have to get ready to play Los Fresnos on Tuesday.”

Lopez began its comeback midway through the first half when Ruiz took a corner kick from the right side that was deflected out to the same side of the field. Ruiz chased down the bouncing ball, turned with it and launched a high, arcing shot toward the goal from approximately 30 yards away that caught the inside of the upper left corner of the goal.

That spectacular score was just the beginning for Lopez.

Ruiz converted a penalty kick during the 26th minute after a tripping call on South as the Lady Lobos pulled even at 2.

Lopez seemed to have gained the momentum going into intermission with the score tied, but things changed quickly when South’s Clarissa Rodriguez attacked down the middle and dribbled in close two minutes into the second half. Rodriguez beat the Lopez goalkeeper in a 1-on-1 confrontation to give the Lady Hawks a 3-2 lead.

The Lady Lobos were behind again, but not for long.

Ruiz came up big once again by sending a free kick into the goal on a high line drive from 25-plus yards out to tie the match at 3. Another spectacular goal gave Ruiz a hat trick and further inspired the Lady Lobos to continue battling.

A medium-range goal by Carla Gracia gave Lopez its first lead, 4-3, with 13 minutes to go. The final tally for the Lady Lobos came with just a couple minutes remaining when Gracia sent a pass over to teammate Kiara Garcia on the right side and she headed the ball into the net to make it 5-3.

“Now we can start gaining some confidence because we’ve already got two of the best teams (in Los Fresnos and South) out of our way (in 32-6A’s second round),” Lopez coach Alex Macias said. “Now we can start seeing that a window to the playoffs is there for us. We want to take the district title as well.

“Things are looking good,” he added. “Now we can say that we’re one of the better teams in our district.”

Roy Hess covers sports for The Brownsville Herald. You can reach him via email at [email protected]. On Twitter he’s @HessRgehess.

By ROY HESS, Staff Writer

The winning continues for the Pace Vikings as they seek a playoff spot for the second straight year in District 32-5A soccer.

Pace (7-2, 21 points) maintained its second-place spot in district with a 3-1 victory at home Friday against fourth-place Donna High (4-5, 13 points).

The Vikings are trying to stay close behind 32-5A leader Porter (9-0, 27 points), which won 6-1 Friday at Edcouch-Elsa.

It was the fourth win in five games for the Vikings.

“This feels very good,” said Pace’s Hector Rojas, a senior midfielder. “We’re putting our hearts and a lot of desire into it. We’re going to continue playing that way.”

Pace broke out of a 1-1 deadlock at intermission with a pair of second-half tallies to send its fans home happy.

“Winning at home is always good.” Vikings coach Mario A. Zamora said. “It makes people respect our house, our home, our field. Getting three more points (with the win) keeps us in the (thick of the) playoff race.

“It’s just good for to win against Donna, which is a strong team from the Upper Valley,” he added. “It’s always feels pretty good to get a ‘W’ at home.”

The Vikings started the match controlling the momentum and firing numerous shots at the Redskins’ goal.

Pace went on top 1-0 during the 15th minute when a shot taken from the left side wasn’t secured by the Donna High goalkeeper and it went off his hands. The Vikings’ Juan Garza charged in the from the right side at just the right moment and sent the deflected ball into the net from point-blank range.

A handball call against the Vikings resulted in a penalty kick for the Redskins with 12 minutes left in the half. Alex Espinoza converted it to tie the score at 1.

“It was a tough game,” Donna High coach Mario “Lalo” Hernandez said. “We made two big mistakes, and that’s what really changed the game.”

Two mistakes by the Redskins during the second half allowed the Vikings to go ahead and win.

First, Pace’s Edgar Martinez took a long free kick from midfield during the 46th minute, and the ball came to the Donna High goalkeeper on a high arc and he failed to control it.

Pace’s Alberto Renteria was right there to nudge the loose ball in for the Vikings’ second goal and a 2-1 lead.

With just four minutes left to play, the ball was advanced and it bounced in front of the Redskins’ goal. The goalkeeper made a lunge to fall on it but couldn’t.

Pace’s Benlly Galvan gained control of it, held up for a moment and rolled a shot toward the open goal on a narrow angle from about five yards away on the right side. A Donna High defender rushed in and tried to prevent the ball from going in, but he was unsuccessful.

Galvan’s score sealed the 3-1 victory for the Vikings.

By ROY HESS, Staff Writer

History repeating itself wasn’t such a bad thing Friday for the Pace Lady Vikings in District 32-5A soccer.

Pretty much just like the first round of district when Pace played at Donna High on Jan. 29, once again the Lady Vikings erupted for multiple goals during the second half after it was scoreless at intermission to defeat the Bravettes 4-0 in Friday’s second-round rematch at Pace.

On Jan. 29 in Donna, the Lady Vikings and Bravettes also were scoreless at halftime and Pace came alive to triumph 3-0.

“It actually felt good (to score) considering the fact that I’m hurt and we really needed those goals,” said Pace’s Kryssie Rivera, a sophomore forward who sparked her team with a pair of goals Friday. “I’d like to thank my team for helping me score them.

“We’re actually excited about making the playoffs again,” Rivera added. “Our plan is to go farther than the first round (after we were eliminated in bi-district by Sharyland High last season).”

The victory keeps Pace (7-2, 20 points) at least in a tie for second place with Porter in 32-5A. Pace and Porter entered Friday’s action three points behind 32-5A leader PSJA Southwest, which played at home against PSJA High. Porter (6-3, 20 points) won 4-1 at Edcouch-Elsa on Friday.

Also scoring for Pace during the second half Friday were Litzy Aleman and Leslie Amador.

“We’re taking it step by step, and this is three more points (with a win) for us,” Lady Vikings coach Jesus O. Villarreal said. “We’re going to go all the way (through our schedule) respecting every team, going step by step and not doing anything differently so we can make it to the playoffs at the end (of 32-5A competition).

“It was a very balanced game tonight,” he added. “It was basically a fight in the midfield, so we put an extra midfielder there and had five of them. It gave us a little bit more (push) on the sides, and that’s basically where our goals (were set up and) came from. Donna gave us a tough, balanced game in the first round, and they did again tonight.”

By ROY HESS, Staff Writer

Some soccer teams are blessed with a number of experienced seniors. The Pace Vikings are one of them.

With 15 seniors on this year’s squad, the Vikings are a band of brothers, a rather large one at that.

All of them share the same goal of returning to the playoffs and making a deep run into the postseason.

So far, reaching those objectives appears quite possible considering the way Pace’s veteran group of players is performing.

“It means a lot to be a member of this team,” said David Morales, a senior midfielder on the wing. “We’re united, and we’re a family. We’re playing together to achieve our goals.”

Added Eduardo Gamboa, a senior goalkeeper, “I think we have a pretty good chance of going farther (in the playoffs) than we did last year (when we advanced three rounds). We have a great team with a lot of returning seniors. We’ve been together all four years, and there’s a pretty good connection between all of us.”

Last season marked a breakthrough showing for the Vikings under first-year coach Mario A. Zamora as Pace returned to the Class 5A playoffs for the first time since 2010. The Vikings surprised Valley View 2-0 in bi-district before defeating Corpus Christi Moody 3-1 in the area round. Then came a 2-1 loss to Porter on penalty kicks in the regional quarterfinals.

Coming so close against a strong Porter team one year ago in the third round has given the Vikings additional confidence and inspired them to reach higher in 2016.

“We’ve been together four years, and we have great chemistry,” said Juan Garza, a senior forward. “What we did last year and the (close) loss to Porter just motivates us more for this year and makes us want to go even farther. I think we have the potential to do it.”

The Vikings (6-2, 18 points) enter Friday’s 6 p.m. home game against Donna High (4-4, 13 points) as the second-place team in District 32-5A behind Porter (8-0, 24 points). Donna High is fourth in district.

The boys game at Pace will be followed by the girls match between the Lady Vikings (6-2, 17 points) and Bravettes (0-8, one point).

Besides Morales, Gamboa and Garza, other seniors among those contributing to the Vikings’ success include Benlly Galvan, Jorge Perez, Johan Rios, Hector Rojas, Alberto Renteria, Abel Jaramillo, Marcelino Lopez, Geovani Martinez, Efrain Gutierrez, Edgar Martinez, Luis Antonio Guerrero and Alejandro Castaneda.

“On this team, we all know that we have each other’s backs,” said Renteria, a senior forward/midfielder.

Rios and Jaramillo are the team’s captains.

“This is my fourth year at Pace, and I’m very proud to be a Viking,” said Jaramillo, a senior midfielder. “I’m certain we can do even better this year. We’re a family, and we’re accomplishing a lot of things together.

“The goal for us in our last year (as seniors) is to continue winning and make it to state,” he added. “I think we have a very good chance.”

Added Rojas, “We’re more than friends, we’re brothers. We’re playing the style of soccer our coach wants with good team chemistry. We’re doing things on the field together with a lot of desire.”

Zamora said that after one full season together the players now are more comfortable with him and he is more familiar with what they can do.

“This team is mostly seniors, and they’re expecting to do really well this year,” Zamora said. “Everybody is putting a strong effort into practices and into the games. I know the mentality on the team is different this year. (After seeing what they could do last season) the guys have started to believe in themselves more.

“We started kind of low (in confidence) last year, and then with what we did in the playoffs it helped build up something for this year,” he added. “I’m pleased to have this group of players, most of them seniors. I hope the best for them this season and with their lives (after Pace).”

Roy Hess covers sports for The Brownsville Herald. You can reach him via email at [email protected]. On Twitter he’s @HessRgehes

By ROY HESS, Staff Writer

The drama surrounding District 32-6A’s boys and girls soccer races seems to increase with each passing night of competition.

Now that the second round of district is under way, the races are becoming even tighter as evidenced by Tuesday’s results.

Harlingen South boys coach Julian Robles, a former assistant at Porter, pretty much summed up the sentiments of his fellow district coaches on Wednesday by saying, “The boys race is making my blood pressure worse. I was hoping to separate (from the other teams) a little, but anybody can beat anybody in 32-6A.

“I think determining these (four) playoff spots will come down to the last games (of the regular season) with nobody sweeping the district,” he added.

Robles’ Hawks (4-4, 14 points) suffered a 2-0 setback at home Tuesday against Brownsville Veterans Memorial (6-2, 19 points), the hottest team in the 32-6A boys race at the moment. The Chargers, winners of five straight, now share the 32-6A lead with Lopez (6-2, 19 points), which lost 2-1 in penalties Tuesday at Los Fresnos (5-3, 14 points).

Hanna (6-2, 16 points) won 3-0 at home Tuesday against San Benito (1-7, three points) to stay close behind the 32-6A co-leaders. Rivera (4-4, 11 points) captured a 4-1 victory Tuesday at Sams Memorial Stadium against Harlingen High (0-8, no points) and could be setting itself up to make a run for the playoffs during the second round.

The 32-6A girls race is every bit as close, especially since Los Fresnos rallied at home to defeat Lopez 2-1 Tuesday after losing to the Lady Lobos 3-0 Jan. 26 during the first round of district.

Tuesday’s outcome leaves the Lopez girls (7-1, 20 points) still in first place, but Los Fresnos and Harlingen South (both 6-2, 18 points) have pulled even closer to the Lady Lobos’ lead.

Either Brownsville Veterans or Hanna (both 4-4, 12 points) would seem to have a strong chance to secure a playoff spot. And if they stumble, San Benito (3-5, eight points) and Harlingen High (2-6, eight points) could make a move upward.

The second round of 32-6A action runs through mid-March.

STRONG 32-5A SHOWINGS

Porter and Pace, Brownsville’s District 32-5A teams, enjoyed continued success on Tuesday as the boys and girls squads from the two schools all won on the opening night of second-round competition.

The Porter boys, ranked No. 1 in the Rio Grande Valley by RGVSports.com, remained unbeaten in 32-5A at 8-0 with 24 points thanks to a 1-0 victory at home against Donna North on a goal by Marco Don Juan.

The Porter girls came next and captured a 3-0 triumph with goals by Allysa Vega, Susana Romero and Alexis Vega. It was an impressive win considering the Cowgirls lost to Donna North 1-0 during the opening round of district.

“It’s always an awesome feeling to win and start the second round on a good note,” Cowgirls coach Abraham Gracia said. “The girls played their hearts out. For now we’re just looking to take it one game at a time, and God willing, the results will come.”

Pace’s teams played at Mercedes and won handily as the boys triumphed 5-0 and the girls cruised to a 6-0 victory.

Pace’s boys are second behind Porter in district at 6-2 with 18 points. PSJA Southwest (7-1, 20 points) leads the 32-5A girls race followed in second place by Pace (6-2, 17 points) and Porter (5-3, 17 points). Edcouch-Elsa (5-3, 16 points) is fourth.

SUPPORT FOR THE BLOODHOUNDS

St. Joseph Academy coach Tino Villarreal said as his soccer team prepared to play Addison Trinity Christian in Tuesday’s TAPPS state semifinal at San Antonio, he received wishes for success from a number of people, including other coaches. The Bloodhounds suffered a 3-2 loss.

He said the support was greatly appreciated.

“I have nothing but positive things to say about our players, our school and everyone who supported us,” Villarreal said. “I did receive a lot of calls from coaches around the Valley who wanted to wish us luck. They said they were proud of the name we’re making for soccer in the Rio Grande Valley and for representing it at a high level (of the playoffs).”

Roy Hess covers sports for The Brownsville Herald. You can reach him via email at [email protected]. On Twitter he’s @HessRgehess

By ROY HESS, Staff Writer

SAN ANTONIO — This time the comeback just never materialized for the St. Joseph Academy Bloodhounds.

Trailing by two goals twice during Tuesday’s TAPPS state soccer semifinal, the Bloodhounds did all they could to battle back, but couldn’t quite come up with the equalizer they needed down the stretch and lost 3-2 to Addison Trinity Christian at San Antonio Central Catholic’s Bob Benson 1966 Stadium.

It was the second straight season that SJA reached the TAPPS state semifinals in soccer.

Trinity Christian (19-4-2) moves on to Friday’s state final in San Antonio against Houston Awty International or Plano John Paul II, while the season ends for SJA (18-6-1).

Just 10 days ago, the Bloodhounds rallied from a 2-0 deficit at home to defeat district foe San Antonio Antonian 3-2 in overtime. But on this sunny, wind-swept Alamo City day with temperatures in the upper 60s, the Bloodhounds’ rally came up just short.

“I’m very proud of our team, and I’m very excited about the future of St. Joseph soccer,” Bloodhounds coach Tino Villarreal said. “As far as what we did this season (in getting back to the semifinals), it was extraordinary. It’s very difficult to do it two years in a row.

“Our boys are pretty disappointed. They wanted to reach higher and not have the season end (again) like this. We kind of fell into a hole early (by trailing 2-0 after 15 minutes), but we started picking it up and started playing tougher. Going against a 30-mph wind (during the second half) wasn’t helping us much.”

Going against a stiff wind, Trinity Christian’s Matthew Springfield attacked down the middle during the 10th minute and beat an SJA defender and the goalkeeper in sending a bouncing shot from just outside the box into the goal.

Matters became even more dire for the Bloodhounds during the 15th minute when they were called for a trip in the area and the Trojans were awarded a penalty kick. Jack Savage converted it with a bullet of a shot into the left corner of the net.

Savage’s goal left the Bloodhounds trailing 2-0 with 25 minutes left in the half.

Then Jose Kauachi gave SJA some hope by taking a free kick from the left side just outside the area and sending it into the right corner of the goal. The score came during the 36th minute, and the Bloodhounds went into intermission behind 2-1.

The Trojans went up by two goals again, 3-1, during the 47th minute when Springfield fired in a shot from about 15 yards out.

Eleven minutes later, with 22 minutes left to play, the Bloodhounds received new life again when SJA’s Anuar Atiye found the net from about 18 yards away on an uncontested shot from the left side.

Despite a spirited effort to score again as time ticked away in the match, the game-tying goal for the Bloodhounds just never came about.

“I thought we did everything we possibly could (to rally),” Villarreal said. “We had good looks and great opportunities (to score). Trinity Christian just capitalized on our mistakes and we couldn’t capitalize (completely) on theirs, and that’s really what it came down to.”

Trinity Chrsitian now will be playing in a TAPPS state championship match for the third time. The Trojans won it all in 2005 and were edged by San Antonio Central Catholic on penalties in the 2014 state final.

“Brownsville brought it today,” Trinity Christian coach Russ Tarbet said. “They’re a very technical team. It was everything we could do to hang on and win. Brownsville’s skill level was great and they played great as a team. I felt like we just wanted to stay composed and stick with our game plan, and I think that’s what helped us come out on top.”